Talk:Information Categories/@comment-67.176.190.34-20130910173323/@comment-5023189-20131110235109
The Bloodlines game must, of course, defer to all Linden Labs (LL)/Second Life (SL) requirements on the subject. The anonymous contributor in this section who indicated they used child avatars is primarily referring to vampire lore, not the rules of Second Life. I realize it's been a while since this question was posed, but I thought I would clarify based on information from the current (as of this post) LL/SL Terms of Service (ToS) and the additional supporting pages to which that document refers. According to the official SL wiki, http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Clarification_of_policy_disallowing_ageplay, it is NOT LL's intention to banish child or child-like avatars, but you can't use them for any kind of sexual or sexually-connected activities or themes. So, using (or interacting with) a child or child-like avatar for anything sexually related, even if you specifically identify yourself as an adult (reference the above link to the wiki page disallowing "age play") is not allowed. However, regarding termination of the user's account, the language is not as strong (unlike the below reference to passing one's self off as a minor to another minor), stating that LL ~reserves the right~ to do so, NOT that it is subject to immediate termination. Also, in the ToS http://lindenlab.com/tos section 6, it says in addition to no sexually-themed activities, users may not engage in any conduct that is intensely violent. The trouble with this wording is that it is subject to varying interpretation; in some cultures the entire vampire theme can be considered "intensely violent." However, something that is NOT subject to interpretation is if, ~for any reason,~ an adult tries to pass themself off as a child to a real-life child (again, see section 6 of the ToS). This is strictly against the rules and will get you booted as soon as it is discovered. AND, if they think you were trying to get the real-life child to participate in anything sexually themed, or if they think you were trying to find a way to contact the child outside SL they will report you to the real life authorities, possibly even if you didn't know the avatar was a child in real life! Additionally, each sim may have its own rules governing conduct that are stricter than the SL ToS, so be aware of the rules where you are "playing;" many sims completely ban child avatars. Please understand, I do not condone or condemn the use of child/child-like avatars in any specific situation; I am simply relating information as I understand it from having read the ToS and attendant pages (which for some reason expressly forbids the direct copying of its writ the Wiki, forcing me to paraphrase -- see attached screenprint). My inexpert, personal conclusions: Any time you use a child avatar for anything except "G" rated actions (meaning anything beyond something you might see in a G-rated movie in the USA) you risk being reported by someone who finds it offensive, however minor that risk may be. Whether LL chooses to act punitively on that report is subject to its employees' interpretation of the report. So, taking all this into account, in practice it is all very much subjective and depends on the folks you are interacting with. LL does not and cannot monitor the actions of every single avatar, and it depends on its users to report the misdeeds of others. If there is no report they have little reason to act unless a LL employee witnesses something directly. However, in my opinion, adults using child or child-like avatars is a risky business, and doing so is subtly discouraged by LL, despite its statement to the contrary in the afore mentioned wiki page.